Interviews set to pick next election administrator

Created 10/21/2010 - 11:31am

The five-member Davidson County Election Commission will spend all day next Thursday questioning seven people who want to be the county’s next elections administrator.

Interviews begin at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 28, with Albert Tieche, an employee of the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, scheduled to go before the commission first. Having received the most nominations from the commission when winnowing the original list of 55 candidates, Tieche is seen as a leading contender for the job.

By 10 a.m., Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, another potential favorite, will take his turn to explain why he should replace outgoing Elections Administrator Ray Barrett, who is set to retire by the end of the year. Buck Dozier, executive director of the Tennessee State Fair and former at-large Metro councilman, follows Crafton.

Davidson County Election Commission chair Lynn Greer told The City Paper he did not know when a new elections administrator would be hired. He said a commissioner could choose to nominate a candidate for the job Thursday. At the very least, the group of seven should be narrowed further by mid-November, he said.

The new elections administrator will initially earn between $65,000 and $85,000 per year, but the salary can bump up to more than $100,000 if the new administrator passes an official certification test.